Des Moines nonprofits brace for SNAP aid disruption
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Des Moines Refugee Services serves up food for students involved in soccer after school. Photo: Courtesy of DMRS
Des Moines metro food banks and nonprofits are ramping up for a potential unprecedented delay in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits next month.
The big picture: The federal government shutdown will likely stop food aid Nov. 1 for some 42 million Americans, the latest blow for low-income families already struggling with rising costs and shrinking federal benefits.
- Around 50,000 people receive SNAP benefits in Polk County.
State of play: Nearly all 100 families that Des Moines Refugee Support (DMRS) helps use SNAP benefits, founder Alison Hoeman tells Axios.
- Most of the families rely on their children to translate English for them, Hoeman says. She's been warning kids that their SNAP might show a zero balance when they shop for groceries.
- "I've just been telling kids, if your family's at the store and you check your balance and you see that you didn't get your money this month, you just need to come talk to us," Hoeman says.
Zoom in: Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) supports 14 food pantries in the metro and is purchasing more bulk items from wholesalers to get 25% additional food supply in its warehouse in preparation for next month, says DMARC spokesperson Blake Willadsen.
- They're also trying to increase outreach and education, so people know where and how to get to a pantry site.
- The biggest struggle is reaching families who may not have the means to go to the pantry or at the times that they're open, Willadsen says.
What they're saying: Food banks in Des Moines have already been experiencing an unprecedented rise in demand in recent years. About 1 in 3 DMARC pantry visitors are going for the first time, Willadsen says.
- "Nonprofits can't replace SNAP as a program. Even in the short term, there's going to be a lot of challenges where our food pantries are going to be pushed beyond their limits," Willadsen says.
Reality check: For every one meal that the nation's Feeding America food bank network provides, SNAP provides nine, the organization said.
The bottom line: Hoeman already worries about how much the kids they work with are eating at home. At soccer practices where they serve meals, they're often coming up for seconds and thirds.
What's next: DMARC and DMRS are accepting monetary donations, which help them make bulk food purchases.